4.10.12: Update on Peter Tenenbaum’s 1000 mile cycle ride from London to Barcelona – he is now almost half way (yeah). Peter reports that “it has been chilly so far, but the sun is coming out and it will soon be in the 80s. It has been gruelling, but my stamina is holding out as well as my knees.” He also reports that, after an 11 hour long ride yesterday … he most definitely needs a cushion for the saddle … ouch!!!

Good luck, Peter for the second half. We’re with you all the way … well, in spirit anyway.

Andrea Reed, Head of a fundraising group called “The Gwaun Valley Dragons” organised a Tractor Run this summer in memory of Mr Oswald Harries of Pengegin Farm, Gwaun Valley, who sadly passed away last year of “Farmer’s Lung”. Oswald’s family had kindly requested that the money be donated to Breathing Matters.

Almost 100 tractors turned up for the Tractor Run on an amazingly sunny day. Oswald’s grandson started the Run in his tractor and 98 tractors followed him along the scenic Gwaun Valley in Wales. See the below link for photos of the day.

On 8th September 2012, a cheque for £3,200 was presented by the Gwaun Valley Dragons to the Oswald family on behalf of Breathing Matters.

We would like to thank the Harries family for donating this money to Breathing Matters towards research into Farmer’s Lung. Thank you too to the Gwaun Valley Dragons for organising such a fun event.

We are very proud to announce that our very own Jeremy Brown has been made a Professor. From 1st October 2012, Jeremy will now be known as Professor Brown.

This is a highly deserved honour and I am sure you would like to join Breathing Matters in formally congratulating him.

Professor Brown is a clinician scientist with an interest in respiratory infection. He trained in medicine inLondon, graduating with honours, and continued his postgraduate medical training in respiratory medicine in a variety ofLondonhospitals. He completed a PhD in molecular microbiology in 1999 and obtained a prestigious Wellcome Advanced Research Fellowship for further scientific training in the pathogenesis of respiratory infections at ImperialCollegeand theUniversityofAdelaide.

Professor Brown was appointed as a senior lecturer and honorary consultant at UCL and UCLH in 2003, since when he has combined running an internationally respected laboratory investigating Streptococcus pneumoniae and clinical respiratory medicine with a particular expertise in patients with lung infections. He has established new clinical services at UCLH for patients with bronchiectasis and for haematology patients with respiratory complications.

He was promoted to Reader in 2008, and is a member of the British Thoracic Society specialist advisory group on respiratory infection as well the editorial boards of several clinical and scientific journals.

University College London Hospitals (UCLH) is now the top London Trust for recruiting patients to research, according to latest research activity figures.

The figures, released by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Clinical Research Network, show UCLH recruited 11,755 patients in 2011/12. Imperial recruited 9,857 and Guys and St Thomas’ recruited 8,933.

The 2012 table, compiled using data from the NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio 2011/12, show UCLH has upped the number of patients it recruits by 56% compared with 2010/11 figures.

This makes UCLH the 5th highest Trust in the country for patient recruitment to research. In 2011/12 UCLH, had 259 recruiting studies compared to 220 in 2010/11.

UCLH Director of Research and Development, Professor Monty Mythen, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled by these latest figures. Not only are we one of the top recruiting Trusts in the country but we also have one of the most complex portfolios of research in terms of the innovative nature of our work.

“The figures are testament to our patients for agreeing to take part in our important research and to our clinical staff for their hard work and dedication.”

NIHR Clinical Research Network chief executive Dr Jonathan Sheffield said: “We know from recent polls that patients want to see the NHS do research, and they want the chance to get involved. The league table helps us recognise the research commitment of NHS staff throughout England.”

Chief medical officer and scientific adviser at the Department of Health, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: “This data from the NIHR Clinical Research Network is encouraging and shows us that high quality research is happening but we need to keep pushing for research to have the profile it deserves with both doctors and their patients.”